


Super Slinger Super Cheese(y)

by Corporal_Levi_cleans_my_house



Series: That's Amore [2]
Category: Slugterra
Genre: First Kiss, M/M, canonverse, older!eli, slugslinging
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-06
Updated: 2017-12-05
Packaged: 2019-02-11 05:49:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12928833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Corporal_Levi_cleans_my_house/pseuds/Corporal_Levi_cleans_my_house
Summary: Logan Cavern, three years after Dr. Blakk's downfall.It used to mean bad news when Eli Shane rode into town, because he was always either trailing trouble or on his way to find it.Nowadays, the worst trouble in Slugterra is petty crime and the occasional reported slug-theft. So when Eli finds his way back to Ricochet Pizza, the trick-shot champ knows it’s not going to be like the first time they met.





	Super Slinger Super Cheese(y)

**Author's Note:**

> Canonverse, absolutely no connection to the previous Eli/Mario oneshot.

 

Mario remembered when he’d wished for the days when his biggest problem was running out of pizza ingredients. No more Blakk, no more ghouls. Just good business and a lot of happy customers.

Well it turned out that day had come.

Slugterra hadn’t been this peaceful in an age. Without the near-constant fear of a raid, people could actually leave their homes without having to check over their shoulders constantly. People were actually eating in at Ricochet Pizza now instead of ordering over the comm. and scurrying in and out with a takeaway order. Mario’s was filled with customers dining, chatting, catching up. The place felt more cheerful than it had since it had started up. The whole damned cavern was a brighter place.

It was actually…nice.

The residents of Logan Cavern led the pleasant, almost mundane lives that they’d longed for throughout Blakk’s reign. Trade had picked up. Repairs were at the tail end of completion. Even the markets were back in business. There was a sense of community once again, friendship between neighbours. Most loyalty to neighbours and friends had to be tossed out of the metaphorical window in the days when deals were made with a blaster aimed at your head. But in recent years, with the newfound peace, old friends found each other. Apologies were made. Bonds were rekindled. Forgiveness was rich in the air, a near-tangible thing.

Maybe that was why Mario felt so content with his pizza business lately?

He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but things had just seemed…good recently. Business was at an all-time high. Customers were friendlier than ever, and he hadn’t had to run an unfriendly face out of his store since…well, since Eli.

So when the resident Shane arrived back in Logan Cavern, Mario wasn’t surprised to find everyone in good spirits. Including himself.

It had used to mean bad news when Eli Shane rode into town, because he was always either trailing trouble or on his way to find it. He’d been but a boy then, confrontational but well-meaning. And everywhere he’d gone, welcome or not, he’d done his best to protect people. To save them, from people like Blakk, and sometimes from the people themselves. Nowadays, the worst trouble in Slugterra was petty crime and the occasional reported slug-theft. No ghouls, slug or otherwise, and things were more peaceful than they had been in an age.

Nowadays, when Eli Shane rode into town, it was a welcomed sight. He was on the move almost constantly, traveling between caverns and keeping an eye on things, visiting the friends he made on the way.

Mario hadn’t really expected a visit, let alone a personal one. But when the commotion outside grew louder, Mario looked up just in time to watch the one and only Eli Shane stroll into Ricochet Pizza with a parting smile to those who’d greeted him out front. The door swung closed with a cheery jingle as the bell was disturbed and that smile turned on Mario, morphing into an easy grin.

“Long time, no see.” Eli said by way of a greeting.

Same old Eli, all mischievous charm. His voice was a little deeper, but more or less the same. Still familiar, it brought back memories of that first adventure – the impossible shot. Naturally, they’d needed someone impossible to make it, but that person had never been Mario Bravado. Trick-shot champ Mario may have been, but he knew that Eli was an impossibility in his own right. A natural-born slinger. Insanely talented when it came to duelling in any situation, especially the unfavourable ones.

It had been a few years since Mario had last seen the kid, though he could barely describe Eli as such anymore. Eli had finally hit that growth spurt he’d been waiting on. Taller, less lanky. Mario would have described it as lean and mean, if he didn’t already know that there wasn’t a mean bone in Eli’s body.

Mario returned Eli’s smile. “Haven’t seen your face in these parts for a while.”

“Too long, I know.” Eli headed for the counter, arm extended to let Burpy make a dive for the countertop and greet Ricochet. The slugs squeaked their respective hellos and Eli smiled. “What can I say? Things have been crazy. Crazy good, but still crazy.”

“I don’t doubt it. It’s good to see you back in town.”

They watched the chattering slugs on the counter, no doubt sharing stories that neither slinger had much hope of understanding. There were some things that humans just weren’t meant to understand.

Mario glanced up at Eli, wondering at the purpose of his visit.

“I’m sure you didn’t drop by just to chat, am I right?”

Eli didn’t quite look guilty, more like he’d been caught out mid-scheme. Which was probably exactly the case.

Mario couldn’t help but smirk at the sheepish expression that Eli aimed his way.

“Alright, alright. Out with it.” Mario said. “What great favour does Eli Shane, Wonder Boy Extraordinaire, have to ask of me today?”

An embarrassed noise left Eli and he glanced up. “Wonder Boy?”

Mario rolled his eyes, leaned over, and flicked Eli between the eyes. “Don’t deflect.”

“Less of a favour, more of a request.” Eli admitted as he rubbed his brow, not a single excuse on his tongue.

Mario crossed his arms loosely, leaning his hip against the counter as he settled in to listen. “I’m all ears.”

“Well, it’s been pretty quiet throughout the caverns, so I’ve been heading through Slutgerra catching up with old friends-”

“And making new ones, no doubt?”

“All the time.” Eli agreed. “I don’t always get the chance to say thank you, or to catch up much at all. So this is a personal hello and a thank you for your help in the past.” Eli looked strangely serious for a moment. Genuine. “I learned a lot from you that day.”

It had been a good day, full of adventure and teaching. Mario had never thought he’d end up as someone’s mentor, even if only for a day. Less than a day. Eli had been a good student, and even better company.

More than that, he’d opened Mario’s eyes to the lying ways of Dr. Blakk. Without Eli strolling into his life and demanding his help, Mario might never have been able to return to slinging. Making pizzas was fine. He loved his job and the life he’d made here. But knowing that he had the freedom of slinging was what let Mario truly enjoy his life. He didn’t feel trapped in the shop.

Eli wasn’t the only one who was grateful for how that day had turned out.

“I should thank you.” Mario said. “You’re the one who kicked my butt into gear and got me out of honouring Blakk’s deal. Thanks to you, I don’t have to feel guilty for being a slinger again.”

It was the truth, plain and simple, and yet somehow Eli still looked surprised to be hearing the words.

Eli smiled, just a little. “Then I guess we’re even.”

The quiet that fell was pleasant, though Mario felt a little odd just standing around smiling at this kid. It gave him the time to notice things, like the angles of Eli’s face. He hoped Eli didn’t notice his eyes wandering too much.

“So that was it?” Mario raised an eyebrow, amused. “You came all this way just to say thank you?”

Sweet kid.

“Actually,” Eli started, leaning against the counter, and he got this sly look to him that made Mario’s face feel a bit warm, “I was wondering if you’d be up for a friendly one-on-one?”

Mario’s eyebrows shot up. “You want to duel?”

“Have you met me?” Eli chuckled, still a hint of that old awkwardness in him. Good. That was one of the best parts of his charm. “Seriously though, I’ve had the time to watch some of your old show. I’ve been thinking about what it would be like to go up against that kind of skill. I mean you can say no…I just hope that you won’t.”

Eli did look pretty hopeful, not quite pulling out the puppy eyes. Near enough, though.

Mario would have agreed just to get a good duel in, but a look at that budding pout had the decision absolutely settled.

“You know what? You’re on, Shane.” Mario said, eagerness growing in his chest.

He’d always loved to sling and that hadn’t changed a bit over the years; working at Ricochet Pizza meant that Mario hadn’t been short on practice. Back in his day, there wasn’t a duel that Mario Bravado couldn’t win. He doubted even a Shane could have taken him down in his prime. But then there was Eli Shane. He made the Shane name formidable on a whole new level, in more ways than one. This was the kid that had taken down Dr. Blakk himself. This was the slinger who had fought against the Dark Bane and won…as a _kid_. And Eli hadn’t stopped getting better just because the monsters were defeated.

Eli Shane wasn’t the kind of person to slack on practice, either.

Mario hadn’t seen Eli Shane in action for long enough that he knew accepting this challenge was all but defeat. But he was just curious enough to want to find out firsthand…just how good this twerp was going to kick his ass.

 

 

Losing wasn’t a surprise. Heck, Mario couldn’t even be upset, just getting to slug it out against this kid was pure privilege.

Mario wasn’t stupid. He knew that he still had what it took to be a major league slinger. He had the talent, the bond with his slugs, the experience. No one else out there could fire a Speedstinger slug, have it complete its volley, _and_ return to your hand in the one shot. But Eli took that and blew it all out of the water. Trick shots were one thing. There wasn’t a shot that Mario couldn’t make a reality, and that wasn’t his ego talking. But there was a thing about trick shots. They took time. Even the moment spent planning out a shot could be your undoing if your opponent could do what you were doing, but better.

And Eli was, impossibly, better. His first shot had Stunts pinging off a signpost and heading straight for Mario. Ricochet was knocked out of the air with an impossibly fast follow-up shot from Eli, Banger punted the Speedstinger off course and took Mario’s feet out from under him.

And that was only their first match.

Eli was _fast_. He knew how to fire a trick shot, but also how to counter one. Sometimes…it could happen in the same move.

Where most slingers took cover, half the time Eli just twisted out of the way. A shift of weight, a step to the side, in one case he just tilted his head out of the way…all the while lining up a shot of his own. Taking cover was all well and good, but Eli wouldn’t risk moving more than he had to and messing up a shot he knew was good. And when he did move, it was more of a distraction than any slug the Shane could have fired. Kid was fast _and_ flexible. Mario surprised himself with where his mind took that.

He absolutely deserved the Flopper Eli shot at his face, a playful move if ever Mario had seen one. It didn’t even reach velocity, just a vaguely damp smack against Mario’s forehead. He blinked out of his daydreaming daze.

“You still awake over there?” Eli called, slapping a new canister into the chamber of his blaster even as he spoke.

Mario watched the Flopper waddle its way back over to Eli, scooped up by the grinning Shane. His quite murmur of “good work, Noodle” had Mario smiling. Such a good bond with his slugs, even the ones most people would consider useless.

Not for the first time did Mario wonder just how differently things might have gone had Eli not fought on the side of good.

But there had always been good in Eli.

“You good?” Eli asked some minutes later, offering a hand to help pick Mario out of the dirt for the umpteenth time.

“Never better.” Mario said, though he coughed a little. That had been quite the exhilarating match. “Can’t imagine what you’d have been like under Blakk’s apprenticeship.”

Pulling Mario up, Eli made a face.

“Never would have happened.” He said the words like a promise, to himself or to Slugterra. Probably both. “There’s no reality where I’d work for Blakk. The world has more than enough evil in it; my place was always clear. Even back when I had no idea what I was doing.”

“What do you mean ‘back when’?” Mario asked, dusting himself off with a little smirk.

Eli scoffed, rolling his eyes at the teasing. “Har har, you never told me you were a comedian. Low blow, Mario. That cuts deep.” The Shane feigned hurt, clutching at his chest. “You’re not wrong, though. Half the time I’m making stuff up as I go.”

“It’s not like that’s some great secret.” Mario chuckled.

Anyone who knew Eli knew the kid lived through improvisation. He could plan ahead, but when things went sideways, Eli always had an answer, a next move, a crazy scheme to win the day.

Eli gave a sheepish little laugh, rubbing at his nape and glancing off to one side.

“So…I don’t suppose you’d like some help at the pizzeria for the afternoon?”

The offer took Mario off-guard, but it was a pleasant surprise.

“Hey, I’ll take any help I can get.” Mario said, glancing over his shoulder. “Not every day that there are two trick shot champs available for pizza duty.”

“Lead the way.”

Mario turned back and raised an eyebrow, playful. “You know the way, Eli. By all means, after you.”

He was pleased when Eli took the lead, shaking his head as he went.

Mario absolutely did not ogle a certain Shane’s ass on the way back, though he may have…glanced. Several times.

 

 

The afternoon passed in a rush of slinging pizzas and laughter. Despite his skill at one-shot pizza slinging, Eli still ended up with flour in his hair. The smear of tomato paste across his face was entirely Mario’s fault and absolutely intentional. Still, Mario atoned for the somewhat messy action by wetting a cloth and cleaning Eli back up, trying to ignore the shit-eating grin that lingered on Eli’s face the entire time.

“Uh-oh, I’ve activated domestic Mario.” Eli teased, being entirely unhelpful by talking while Mario was trying to clear up a smear of pizza sauce from his cheek. The Shane turned his comments towards his slugs in a stage whisper. “Make a break for it, guys. I may not escape with my life.”

“Or your dignity.” Mario muttered, scrubbing at a stubborn smear of red.

His path of scrubbing lead his fingers dangerously close to that smart-alec mouth. Mario refused to be daunted by his own attraction, ploughing on because he refused to make things awkward. He got the last of the paste off of a plush bottom lip. And that’s when Eli threw him for a loop. Eli leaned forward just slightly as Mario’s hand had begun to retreat, catching a single finger between his teeth. Gentle, not biting down. He released Mario just as suddenly, eyes alight with mischief and warmth.

“Gotcha.” Eli said.

Mario just gaped at him. He felt like his jaw might have dropped, but he wasn’t aware enough in that moment to tell. A moment later Eli’s fingers slid under his chin, a grin taking over the young Shane’s face as he pressed up and yep, Mario’s jaw clicked closed with the help of those fingers and he felt mortification take over.

The next thing Mario knew, Eli was leaning forward. His mouth pressed to Mario’s, just a soft little dab of contact and then it was gone again. Possibly the sweetest kiss that Mario had ever been given.

Eli seemed to sense that Mario was in some kind of overload, another of those awkward little laughs escaping him.

“It was good to see you,” he said, slipping around the other side of the counter while Mario scrambled to make sense of things, “we should do this again sometime. Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Mario answered far too quickly, nodding like some kind of idiot.

But it made Eli smile, something warm and fond. It made Mario feel a lot less stupid, like there was a chance that this wasn’t some huge joke. Like Eli was honestly interested.

“See you around, then.” Eli said by means of farewell.

And then he was gone, out the door with a smile and a little wave.

Mario blinked dumbly.

“S-See you.” He said, far too late.

The only answer was from Ricochet on the counter, a tiny squeaking sound like laughter coming from the little slug. Mario groaned.

Oh man. He was doomed.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I can't write this ship without that damned "amore" song going through my head X'D


End file.
